


A Path for You

by LadyKatAstrid



Series: Elsamaren summer 2020 [5]
Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:20:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25355401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKatAstrid/pseuds/LadyKatAstrid
Summary: How did she get here? Elsa thinks back to all the important moments since she woke up the Spirits, with one person in mind: Honeymaren.Day 18, prompt 7: Why do lullabies always have some terrible warning in them?Day 19, BONUS PROMPT: Bless this happiness we've found
Relationships: Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney)
Series: Elsamaren summer 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828498
Comments: 13
Kudos: 39
Collections: Elsamaren Summer 2020





	1. Where All is Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta-read, I'll come back to fix the mistakes eventually

They had laughed that night.

_“Why do lullabies always have some terrible warning in them?”_

They had chuckled that night, after singing the lullaby Elsa’s mother sang to her when she was a child, the baby reindeer between them, and, in that moment, Elsa had felt a spark. She hadn’t known what it meant for a long time, of course, the _conceal, don’t feel_ too ingrained in her brain to recognise the attraction.

But Maren had been patient with her, sometimes too patient, showing her how to navigate these new feelings, these sensations, how to tread in these new waters.

_Dive down deep into her sound…_

Elsa had.

Oh, how she had.

Maren would see her off on the days she rode to Ahtohallan in the early morning, and would patiently wait for her when she came back late at night, a towel and a hot drink in her hands, with Bruni or Gale keeping her company if either spirit felt like it.

She would send her off when it was time for Elsa to go back to Arendelle for family game night, giving her a hand-carved animal figurine as a gift for Anna, or the latest news about reindeer for Kristoff, or a preserved flower that Elsa would encapsulate in ice for Olaf’s growing collection.

And with each tiny gesture, Elsa’s heart filled with an aching of something, but a good something, and she would try and turn those feelings into words for Anna, who would only smile the softest of smiles and nod at Elsa’s words.

Anna had known. Elsa hadn’t, not at that time.

But then the colour of a fallen leave had reminded her of how Maren’s eyes shone in the afternoon glow. But then she had suggested they went one night to the North Mountain, as Maren had never seen the stars before. But then she had insisted on staying with Maren when the other woman had fallen sick, taking care of her instead of spending the night losing, but getting better, at charades.

But then her eyes had lingered perhaps a little too long on Maren’s body when she was showing the little ones their first fighting lessons.

And then her heart had done that strange thing when Maren turned around and smiled at her.

_Oh._

Oh indeed.

And after knowing that, how could she _conceal, don’t feel_ anymore?

She had begun to understand the looks Maren gave her because she had started to send them back, too.

When they were alone, the fire’s light dancing in their faces.

When Maren offered her another hot drink after Elsa got back from Ahtohallan.

When Elsa cupped Maren’s hands to freeze the flower instead of taking it into hers.

Two weeks. 

Had she really waited that long after that first realisation? Yes, she had, but she'd had to talk to Anna first.

_“So, did you finally realise?”_

Anna’s smile had been smug, but her eyes had held a gentleness that told Elsa Anna had just been giving her space to figure things out on her own.

 _“Did you know from the beginning?”_ Elsa’s cheeks had been aflame, but she had chuckled alongside her sister.

Anna had shrugged. _“Kristoff comes with a drink and to remind me when I get too lost on paperwork at nights. It’s not more different than waiting for you at the shore, right?”_

No, it wasn’t. 

So it was in one of those nights, when the sun had long since set, that Elsa came from Ahtohallan and saw Honeymaren sitting on a log, the towel wrapped around her shoulders and the drink secured between some rocks, Bruni on her knee, his head bopping to the sound of Honeymaren’s voice.

Still hugged by the darkness, Elsa watched the woman she liked sing a popular Northuldran song that spoke about being so deep in the mist you couldn’t see your hands, about finding someone else just as lost as you were, and making your way out together.

But no… there was something different.

And Elsa realised Honeymaren had changed the lyrics, and that these new lyrics spoke of her.

Elsa only revealed herself when Honeymaren was singing the last part, holding her gaze as Honeymaren held that last high note.

She dismounted the Nokk and Honeymaren put Bruni aside, getting to her feet, both of them sharing yet again _that_ look.

Elsa walked forward, her eyes never leaving Honeymaren’s, the other woman stepping forward just once.

They were but a breath away.

And Elsa closed the distance and kissed Honeymaren, closing her eyes after finally getting what she had been dreaming of for the last couple of days.

After the initial surprise, Maren reciprocated, and later on, neither could tell how long they had spent under the moonlight, getting lost in each other’s arms, finally being able to show their true self.

For the first time in forever, Elsa wasn’t afraid of what her feelings meant, and she swam alongside them, alongside Honeymaren, knowing the other woman would be there waiting for her when she got ashore.

Literally and figuratively.

And when Yelana looked at their joined hands and smiled, and when Anna shrieked when Elsa brought Honeymaren to family game night, and when Ryder shared tales of a young and rebellious Honeymaren, Elsa’s heart would squeeze with love.

Everyone she had ever loved was not just within the walls of Arendelle’s castle anymore.

_...but not too far or you’ll be drowned._

It hurt how true those words rang, was the only thing in Elsa’s mind as the water forcefully entered her mouth and lungs.

It had been her choice, a no-brainer, really.

The Fifth Spirit.

The Guardian of the Enchanted Forest.

So how could she not sacrifice herself for the survival of her people?

No one had seen the Dark Spirits rising. No one. Their magic was like a shadow in the darkness, indistinguishable from one another and yet not the same; when they had finally realised what was happening, it had been too late, as it usually was.

But the Dark Spirits had made a mistake; they had threatened Elsa’s loved ones. They had thought putting Elsa in an impossible position would make the darkness inside of her grow and that she’d become one of them.

The Dark Queen, they had whispered.

But hatred did not fuel Elsa’s actions, love did.

Her love for her sister, her love for Olaf, her love for Kristoff and Sven. For Gerda, for Kai, for her father Agnarr, for her mother Iduna. For Marshmallow, for her Snowgies. For Ryder, for Yelana, for Bruni, for Gale, for the Nokk, for the Earth Giants.

For Honeymaren.

If Elsa was to die with one regret, it was not telling Honeymaren how she really felt.

The fight had left her exhausted, the Nokk and her in the middle of the ocean watching the Dark Spirit’s last stand: a wave that would destroy all of Arendelle and all of the Enchanted Forest.

Elsa was trying to fight those closest to them, but they were swarming both her and the Nokk; by the time they got rid of them, the wave would be out of reach and everyone would be gone.

And that is why it had been an obvious decision to ask the Nokk to leave her in the middle of nowhere, in the off chance it could be able to stop the wave before decimating the whole country.

But that left Elsa at the mercy of the Dark Spirits.

And if they couldn’t make her join them, they certainly would not let her live.

Darkness consumed her, the Dark Spirits dragging her down with them. Elsa raised a hand to the rapidly disappearing light.

_“You know, you belong up here.”_

And how Elsa wished she could keep that promise.


	2. Then All is Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 19, BONUS PROMPT: Bless this happiness we've found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something sweet
> 
> Not beta-read

There was no actual need for this, none other than just lifting people’s spirits.

And yet, Elsa couldn’t be happier than in the arms of her lover, so maybe Anna’s idea of celebrating her wedding -yet again- to boost morale had been the right one.

But again, there was no actual need for something like this, not when Elsa and Maren had exchanged vows the previous week, in an intimate venue in the Enchanted Forest, surrounded by close friends and family.

And Anna had thought the people of Arendelle deserved to see their former queen happy and in love, thus proposing a second celebration in the city, inviting all of the Northuldra and declaring four days of festivities.

The same amount of days Elsa had been lost at sea after her fight with the Dark Spirits.

The last thing Elsa remembered was a heavy pressure on her chest and then nothing, until she woke up on Maren’s goahti.

Apparently, she had been drifting at sea until Maren, astride the Nokk, found her inside a sphere of ice. She’d barely been alive when they took her back home, and it had been almost a week before she’d woken up.

Anna had cried like never before when she saw her sister open her eyes. Honeymaren? Honeymaren had left the goahti as soon as Elsa and she made eye contact over Anna’s body. Elsa hadn’t been able to follow her then.

Kristoff had joined his wife in the embrace and Olaf too; Ryder had hugged her tightly when her family let her go, and even Yelana had lingered in her hug a second longer than usual.

But even though she loved all those who had gathered around her, Elsa had wanted to go after Maren, a thing she did not accomplish until much later, when everyone left her alone to sleep. Elsa had sneaked out of the goahti, but there had been no need for her to look much further away from the side of their home, because Maren was there, standing guard.

It had been too much, Maren explained, her emotions all over the place when Elsa woke up: relief, happiness, fear, anger, joy…

Relief at finally having her back, but anger at Elsa’s continuous sacrifices. Why did it have to be her?

Maren had tried to explain why she left, but it all ended up with her crying and clinging to Elsa, desperate to have her close after the near-death experience. The only danger Maren had had growing up had been trying to not get in the Earth Giants path or Arendellian soldiers, but now? She had never been closer to losing a loved one than when Elsa had been fighting in the middle of the sea.

Maren had frozen the moment those words left her mouth. Elsa had also paused, but when she had felt Maren start to pull away she had revealed how she felt too. That she loved her too. And then their tears were happy.

It hadn’t taken them long to get engaged after that, and what a proposal that one had been; all those involved had sworn secrecy over that day, but it had taken Elsa a few months to not jump anytime a certain word was mentioned.

And thirteen months after that, Elsa and Maren had gotten married in the Enchanted Forest, and a week after that, there they were, slow dancing in front of everyone.

“See? Your sister does have good ideas,” said Maren in a low voice, only for Elsa to hear.

Elsa hummed, her head resting on her wife’s shoulder. “I’m just happy she didn’t go with the fireworks.”

“I think that was more Olaf’s idea, Anna wanted Gale to lift us in the air.”

Elsa blinked, taken aback, but then chuckled. The air spirit had greeted them with a ruffling of their dresses, so Maren must have done something.

“How did you convince Gale not to do that?”

“I said it would be funnier to lift Anna, as she wouldn’t be expecting that. So if you hear her yelling, you know why that is.”

Elsa laughed, re-adjusting her head so that she was looking outside instead of to Maren’s neck. “You and Gale are a very bad influence on one another.”

Honeymaren shrugged. “What can I say, we bonded over a shared interest of you and songs. If anything, it’s your fault we’re friends, you shouldn’t have left us alone when you went to Ahtohallan.”

Elsa couldn’t see it, but she sensed Maren’s smirk.

“My poor sister,” Elsa sighed. “Kristoff better hold onto her.”

“Gale’s probably also going to pick him up.”

Elsa grinned again and they ended the song in comfortable silence. They bowed and curtsied when people applauded to them, and then walked to the beverages table, where Yelana was waiting.

“I hope the evening is to your liking, Yelana?” Elsa asked while Honeymaren filled two glasses.

“It certainly is more boisterous than our celebrations, but it’s all for a good reason.”

“Celebrating life is one of the best reasons for a party,” added Maren giving Elsa one of the glasses.

Yelana hummed, drinking tea from her cup. Anna had asked the kitchens to be opened for requests of teas, from mostly Northuldrans, if they did not like the offered drinks.

“Have you thought about what you want to do now?” Yelana asked them while watching new people take their dancing positions.

Elsa and Honeymaren looked at each other, but it was the former who answered, as Maren was sipping from her drink. “We’re hoping to go on a vacation.”

“Just the two of us,” Honeymaren added.

“Oh? That will be a difficult feat, weren’t your sister and your brother demanding full weekly reports on your health?”

There had been a nasty bug that had had half the Northuldra writhing in pain for a week, Elsa and Honeymaren included. Fortunately, it had been before their wedding.

“We’re planning to leave for two weeks,” Elsa continued. “Nothing too crazy and probably not too far away from here. Honey wanted to see what’s beyond the forest line, and I do too.”

“For both your sakes, I hope there’s nothing interesting,” Yelana deadpanned.

Honeymaren chuckled. “I don’t know, my wife likes to attract all kinds of troubles.”

“So that’s how I managed to keep you?” Elsa sassed back.

Yelana smiled at their banter. It was really good to see them behave like their old selves, teasing and sharing smiles. It had been almost two years and a half, but Yelana remembered like it was yesterday how her granddaughter had acted in the days before she had found Elsa, and then that dreadful week when the blonde wouldn’t wake up. In those days, Honeymaren had been like a ghost, and she would have been worse for wear had Ryder not taken care of his sister.

“When are you planning on going out?”

The two young women shared a wide-eyed look, fighting to decide who would be the one to reveal that piece of information.

“Tomorrow morning at the latest,” Elsa answered in the end.

Yelana chuckled. “And were you going to tell us, or just have Gale give us a note when you were too far from our reach?”

At least the couple had the decency to blush a little, with Honeymaren hiding her face behind her wife.

“We might have thought of doing that,” Elsa shrugged, not making eye contact, “but with you in the loop, we could leave the letters on your hands.”

Yelana shook her head fondly. “So you would leave an old woman to face the wrath of a Queen. Oh, well, these past months have been very quiet and I do love some drama. Maybe I can even have Halima do her ‘moving photographs’ thing and give it to you as a wedding gift.”

The three of them laughed.

“Please do,” said Maren.

Elsa nodded in agreement.

“Ah, to be young again. Well, I do hope you come up with stories to tell the younglings, and please be careful, dears.”

“Always, grandma,” Honeymaren answered with a fond smile.

Yelana hugged both Honeymaren and Elsa, giving them a kiss on the forehead before letting them go. She then turned around, still with the teacup in her hands, and made her way to the other side of the room, where some Northuldrans were talking with Gerda.

“So, wife of mine,” said Maren. “Do you want another dance?”

Elsa shook her head with a smile, and turning around, she put her back to Maren’s front. “I think I’m all danced out; I’ve never been one for dancing.”

Maren gave Elsa’s shoulder a kiss and then set her head on it. “Don’t sell yourself too short, you’ve been my best partner.”

Elsa smiled and leaned back with a sigh, Maren’s arms around her middle. She knew her wife did it unconsciously whenever they found themselves in that position, but Maren always caressed the scar on her stomach, one of many but the biggest one, she had suffered against the Dark Spirits, as she was doing in that moment.

There was a commotion to the left of them and suddenly Anna was being lifted in the air, shrieking and losing all regal composure as Gale made her twirl and turn on the air, the attendees sharing a good-natured laugh watching their Queen try to swim to the floor.

Elsa and Maren also laughed, the latter burying her head between Elsa’s shoulder blades.

“I didn’t actually think Gale would do that!” Tears streamed down Maren’s eyes.

“You know Gale loves a good prank,” Elsa scolded her with a smirk.

After some seconds, Gale left Queen Anna back on her feet, and moments later, the newlyweds heard the tattletale sound of Gale’s chimes and the ends of their gowns moved. On the distance, Anna’s eyes focused on the couple, and her eyes narrowed at them.

“Oh, oh,” said Maren. “I think we’ve been busted.”

“We? You were the one to plan it.”

“But how did those Arendellian vows go? In sickness and health? Your sister maiming me falls directly under the category of sickness if you don’t help me.”

Elsa half-chuckled half-sighed, but then she saw her sister striding to them with a face that showed she would not be swayed by the ‘it wasn’t me, she did it’ card Elsa was going to pull out, and so she sobered up.

“Although… what do you say we make our escape now?” Elsa suggested her wife.

Anna was halfway through to them.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

With a flick of her wrist, Elsa conjured a cloud of mist as she grabbed onto Maren’s hand and turned to run away to one of the castle’s many corridors. They laughed as they heard their names being called by an angry Anna, but they didn’t pause and they didn’t look back.

When they were deep in the castle, they slowed down their steps. Maren pinned Elsa to a wall, giggling still, and leaned her forehead against hers.

“What do you say we leave for our vacation now?” Honeymaren offered.

“Sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End
> 
> Aaaaand that's a wrap for me! I hope you've enjoyed this crazy week, 'cause I sure have (tho I'm behind in reading) and now I'm gonna go rest for a week  
> There's some irl stuff going on so I don't know when you'll get a new chapter of Seize, but I do have a late submission of elsamaren week coming out some time next week, and I'll try to write sth for second parts of some prompts per popular request
> 
> Thank you @wintermoonqueen for organising it all, and don't forget to check the rest of the fics [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ElsamarenSummer2020)
> 
> Until next time :)

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to say this was short and sweet, but I'll just say it's short


End file.
